Enticed By You Page 9

  Gasping I tried to step back, but the concrete hit my back, with my hand at my throat I shook my head in denial from the words coming out of his mouth.

  Seeing my head shake, he told me yes we were.

  I had to keep him talking and occupied just long enough for someone to walk out of the club, then I can shout for help.

  “No we’re not Andrew, stop saying silly things.”

  And with that he stepped right up in my face and I felt his disgusting hot breath travel all over, I smelt the vile stench coming from his mouth.

  “What? Am I not good looking enough for you Peyton huh? You don’t want to dance in the VIP room for me when I ask. As you don’t ‘do them,’ but when some other asshole comes around and dishes out more money you’re more than willing to go.”

  I didn’t know what to say or if I could even talk at all, my throat felt blocked, my heart was beating like a drum and I was shaking now. He was starting to scare me.

  “How much did it cost to get you in that room? How much did you sell yourself for huh? Did you suck his dick? Did you fuck him slut? Yeah, I bet you let him fuck your sweet ass pussy, I would’ve too and I will soon don’t worry sweetheart. Now, how MUCH?!” He shouted at the end of his vulgar speech.

  “A thousand bucks! Now get the fuck away from me you fucking creep. I’m not going to be sleeping with someone like yo-” that was all I could get out before he slapped me across the face.

  Screaming for help I tried to fight back but he grabbed my shoulders and slammed me back into the wall, and hitting my head, with a thump. I swore I had heard the sound echo before the I felt the pain shoot through my body.

  Crying out, I tried moving away from him, but he stopped me again by grabbing my throat.

  “Don’t you dare speak to me like that, you stupid fucking bitch,” he said slamming me back again and I swear something rattled in my head.

  My vision was going blurry, I could see three Andrews now. Oh god, that’s even worse than just the one of him, and I could see his lips moving but there was a ringing noise in my ears and I couldn’t grasp what he was saying.

  I was getting tired and I felt warm liquid running down my neck and back.

  I finally caught the words he was saying, “-lut, we’re leaving now and I’m going to show you what a real man can do.”

  And with that I screamed as loud as I possibly could.

  “HELP MEEEE!!”

  Before my eyes closed, I saw a figure running fall speed through the parking lot and heard a panicked voice shouting out “PEYTON!!” I felt Andrew being pulled off me, and with no energy left in me, I fell to the ground and let the darkness consume me and take me away from this nightmare.

  NINE

  Slowly coming around, I tried to blink away the haziness and looked over to the sound coming from my left. I saw a figure on the ground, Andrew, with someone on top of him swinging his right fist into Andrews face.

  The man on top shifted to his left and pulled Andrew up with his clenched left hand and with that movement I saw the face of my savior.

  Keller.

  I gasped at him being here and the deadly expression on his face.

  I’d never seen that look on his face, he looked like he was about to kill Andrew. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his lips pressed together tightly, his jaw was clenched and the veins in his neck were pulsing like a clock on speed. But it was his eyes, again that made him look menacing; narrowed right on the unconscious man below him and they were spitting fire at him. It was like he was in the zone, and his objective was to kill his target.

  I couldn’t let him go prison for killing someone that had some fucked up obsession with me, so I tried calling out his name, but my throat wouldn’t work. I tried clearing it and felt pain shoot through me.

  I tried again and succeeded, “Keller,” it came out a whisper. Ignoring the pain in my head, I said his name even louder.

  “Keller!”

  His head snapped around to face me and he dropped Andrew like the sack of shit he was and rushed over to me.

  “Baby, are you okay?” He said running his hands all over me.

  When he touched my neck, I winced and on reflex I tried to pull away from him. This caused more pain to radiate down my neck. Keller must have seen the pain on my face. Rising he started going back over to Andrew, but I grabbed his hand and tugged him back.

  “Leave him, before you kill him,” I said my voice still small and frightened.

  “But he-”

  “Please. Please leave him before you end up killing him, he’s out Keller,” I told him still amazed that he was in front of me.

  “How are you here? How did you even see us? What are you doing here Keller?”

  “I’ve been here every night waiting for you. I wanted to see and talk to you, and then as I was about to leave I heard you scream... I-I’m so sorry I wasn’t fast enough or that I didn’t see you both sooner. If I’d been paying attention, he never would’ve put a hand on you.” He sounding anguished, his hand went to my cheek and softly stroked from temple to jaw and back again before dropping it and letting out a sigh.

  I was in shock. He’d been coming here every night to see me?

  “Come on let’s get you to the club and call the police before I go back and kill that fucker. Can you walk?”

  “Erm I don’t know, let me see.” Trying to stand was a challenge in its self and after trying for a couple of seconds, Keller just picked me up like I weighed nothing and cradled me in his arms. With his left arm under my legs and his right behind my back, my head nestled in the crook of his neck, he started walking to the clubs back entrance.

  How he got the door open baffled me, but somehow he managed, and in doing so we walked, well he walked straight into John and Jimmy, who’d been saying goodbye to the last customers.

  Seeing me in Keller’s arms and probably looking like I’d been dragged through a field backwards, they immediately came rushing over. John tried pulling me out of Keller’s arms and the jolting caused so much pain that I cried out, John let go of me right away, as I whimpered into Keller’s chest.

  “Don’t touch her you fucking idiot, she’s hurt,” Keller said, sounding angry.

  “I can see that dick, that’s why I’m trying to get her away from you,” John said sounding just as angry.

  “I didn’t do this. The scumbag that did it is out in the parking lot unconscious, next to the green Jeep. Can one of you call the police please?” He sounded a little calmer now.

  “Who was it Pey, do you know?” Jimmy asked, looking like he was gonna kill said person.

  “It was Andrew.” At his confused look, I told him, “Andrew the creeper.”

  Recognition dawned on his face and with that he stormed out the back door.

  “John, please go make sure he doesn't go do anything stupid, please.” I sounded desperate and his big body hesitated long enough for me to catch his eye’s going back from Keller to me. “I’m fine with him John, I promise, Keller would never hurt me.” Well, not physically. Emotionally he’d already done that.

  Keller went over to sit down on one of the couches and pulled me up so I was sitting up.

  Lifting my hand to his strong jaw, I stroked the stubble that covered it.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I told him with a sleepy smile.

  I felt the energy draining out of me all of a sudden, like my body knew I was safe and away from the danger and could relax.

  “You tired baby?” I nodded, “Well don’t go to sleep, the ambulance will be here soon and you might have a concussion,” he said, looking worried.

  “But I’m really tired,” I told him pouting.

  “I know, but you need to stay awake okay? Can you do that for me baby, please?”

  “Okay, Kel.” I smiled at him.

  He was so handsome.

  I ran my eyes over him, his big strong arms encased in a black faux leather jacket holding me. His chocolate brown hair a little mussed, his brow smoothed out now, a small smile gracing his lips and his eyes were the warm swirls that I loved. I had missed those eyes looking back at me like that.

  So handsome...

  “Thank you baby. You’re even more beautiful than before,” he told me.

  Shit had I said that out loud?

  Did he say I was beautiful?

  “Why did you leave me Peyton?” His face awash with pain.

  I furrowed my brow, what the fuck is he talking about, me leaving him?

  HE left ME!

  “What are you talking about? You left me!” I said getting angry, moving to get off of him, but he pulled me back to his chest. Cradling me tightly to him.

  “No. You’re not gonna go running away again Pey. I’m not letting you get away from me again. No chance.” He sounded annoyed, at what I don’t know, but he had no right to get mad at me and make accusations when it was him who left me. He had made it perfectly clear that he didn’t want me or our baby.

  “You don’t get to tell me what to do Keller, you fucking went off to war and when I told you I was pregnant with your child, you ran like a fucking coward and told me that you didn’t want us!” I was crying again I realized as I tasted the salty tears dripping in my mouth.

  When I went to get off him again, he let me.

  Taking deep breaths through my nose, I pushed past the pain and turned towards him and saw the confused look on his face.

  “What do you mean pregnant?” He said.

  “I wrote to you, telling you I was pregnant with your child, and you wrote back saying that it obviously wasn’t yours as you had been gone for a couple of months! News flash Keller, it takes a couple of weeks for a baby to develop. I was about five or six weeks pregnant when I found out. I think it was either the week before you left or maybe just before or maybe the night of my graduation that the baby was conceived. So that proves that the baby was yours,” I told him wiping away the tears that were still falling. Letting out a heavy breath from my long ass speech.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I didn’t leave you! I got a letter one day and I was all happy thinking about what you wrote and then bam! You say that you can’t be with me ‘cause of some bullshit about being so far away and us being apart for so long. That you thought, it would be better that we’re not together. You were getting ready to go off to college and didn’t want to be tied down to someone in the war. That’s what you wrote and told me Pey!” He said shouting now.

  “I’ve got the proof you dick!”

  “So have I Peyton! I kept all of them,” looking at me with pain again.

  “So you’re telling me that you didn’t know about me being pregnant with Ivy?” I asked my voice going quite.

  “NO! Wait... Ivy? I-I have a daughter?”

  “Yeah,” I said whispering and sinking to the floor as I couldn’t hold myself up anymore The realization of everything was setting in. He never knew. I could see that in his face. He really didn’t know. Relief and hope ran through me so fast it was a good thing I was already sitting. I think it would have dropped me on my ass.

  Following me down to the floor on his knees, he looked hollow. His face had gone white as a ghost and looked all clammy.

  “I have a child?” I think he was in a state of shock.

  From the corner of my eye, I could see Jimmy, John and Amelia standing off to the side, probably trying to give us some privacy.

  I could hear the sirens getting closer and I wondered about where Andrew was and what would’ve happened to me if Keller hadn’t of turned up when he had.A sob broke through at that thought and Keller’s strong arms and scent surrounded me, giving me comfort.

  “If I had known, I would never have left you or my baby, you have to know that Peyton. I honestly thought you didn’t want to be with me anymore and it broke my heart. I never would have done that. I’ve loved you all my life. Can I meet her?” His eyes, looking misty themselves, begged for me to say yes.

  “You want to meet her?” This was what I had always wanted. This is what Ivy had always wanted- to meet her daddy.

  “Yeah baby, I would love to meet her. Can I?” Sounding so hopeful it made my heart kick up another notch.

  “She would love that. I would love that.”

  He’s arms wrapped around me and he pulled me onto his lap so I was straddling him my knees on either side of his strong thighs. My arms around his neck and my fingers threading through his soft hair, I asked him a question that I’d always wanted to know.

  “Keller, would you have come home to me, round and pregnant with your child, and still loved me?” I was desperate to know the answer to this question.

  Pulling back to look in my eyes, he said, “Baby, I would of came back and worshipped every single extra inch on that beautiful body of yours. I promise you that, Pie,” he answered with such clarity and truth, I believed that he would’ve.

  “What’s her full name? You said Ivy that’s your middle name, your grandma’s name, I love it.”

  “Her name is Ivy-Rose James, and she’s three, it’s her birthday in eight days, March 14th and she’s the most-beautiful little girl ever, I swear. She looks just like you Keller, so beautiful.” I tell him, seeing his face change from shocked to happy to stunned and finally amazed.

  “You gave her my last name? Even though, you thought I didn’t want you both? Wait Ivy-Rose? My mom’s name?” He both sounded and looked teary now. I could remember the last time I had seen Keller cry, it was when his mom had died, we were at her funeral. That was one of the worst days for Keller, he’d been really close to her and when she had died, it had done a number on him. It was almost as if a piece of him died that day with her.

  “Of course, I gave her your last name, you’re her father and even though at that time I actually hated you for abandoning us, I could never do that to Ivy. One day she would want to know who her dad was and I wanted her to know. Yeah, I gave her your mom’s name. I loved your mom, and Ivy is lucky to share such a great person’s name.” I told him the truth, I had hated him then, but it wasn’t about me at that point in time. It was about my child and me having to grow up and be the best mom to Ivy as I could possibly be.

  “She asks about you all the time and I really didn’t want to lie to her. I told her you’re at war and fighting the bad guys, and she thinks you’re like a superhero. She has a picture of us next her bed, so she knows what you look like. Well, you’re a little different, we have both changed. She’d know who you are right away when she sees you,” I said, smiling at the thought of Ivy’s face when she sees her daddy.

  A tear rolled down his face and his lips pulled back and formed a brilliant smile, all white perfect teeth. His smile and his eyes showing his happiness.

  “She sounds perfect, Pie,” again with that nickname.

  He’d been calling me ‘Pie’ since 3rd grade, when Henry Tipple said I was fat. My initials spell out P.I.E, it was the perfect name to be called. Horrible bastard he was, made my life a living hell for months after that, until Keller found out and beat him up. When he asked me why I’d never told him, I said I didn’t want him to get into trouble. ‘Cause even back then Keller had been tall and strong for his age and I knew he would beat him up. Since that day, he’d taken my horrible nickname and turned it into a term of endearment just for him. He had said that everyone loves some pie that they were always warm and when you got a slice of pie, it made a person happy and he was always happy when I was with him. He’d only been nine when this happened, so I had been ‘Pie’ to Keller for 10 years, well 15, but the last five years we hadn’t spoken so it doesn't count. It felt a little weird being called that now.

  “Please don’t call me that, it hurts too much to hear you say that name,” I told him.

  He looked at me like I’d just killed his best friend.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s just too soon Keller,” I felt guilty for putting that expression on his now saddened face.

  Taking a breath and wiping away the tears that lingered on the cheeks he said, “Okay, I can do that.”

  There was banging coming from the front door and it startled me. My brain automatically thinking it was Andrew coming back for me, and Keller squeezed me tighter.

  Jimmy walked over and opened the door, the police stood there with two paramedics. I could see the flashing lights come from both their vehicles, and blew out a breath I didn’t know I was holding, before sucking air back into my lungs. I felt Keller relax when he saw who it was, but only slightly.

  “We had a call saying a woman had been assaulted, is this the woman?” I heard the policeman say. I heard murmuring coming from Jimmy.

  I heard John say something that sounded like, ‘the scumbags over here,’ before hearing footsteps coming closer to me.

  I looked over from my hiding spot, Keller’s neck, and saw a good looking policeman and a pretty policewoman looking at me sympathetically. The paramedics, with their bags over their shoulder, came to a stop and squatted down in front of Keller and me.

  “Hello, what’s your name?” Asked the paramedic who was somewhat smaller than the other one.

  “Peyton.”

  “Okay, Peyton, I’m Will, can you tell me what happened please?” He said, waving over the woman officer, “ Is it okay if I bring officer Simms over so she can write the report down and then she’s gonna take your statement from you, is that okay?”

  Looking back to Keller and seeing him nod at me, I turned back and nodded yes before I leaned back into his strong, safe arms.

  “Would you like to do this here or in the ambulance?”

  “Here will be fine.” Even if they had me take my clothes off it’s not like anyone hadn’t seen me naked before, but I just didn’t want to move from the comfort that was Keller’s arms.

  “Okay, do you hurt anywhere? I can see blood on your jacket, so do you think you could take that off so I can check you over?”

  “Here baby, I’ll do that for you, I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” Keller said, taking his hands away from the small of my back and unbuttoned the front of my jacket before he grasped the lapels and pulled down gently, freeing my arms and laid the coat on the floor next to us. Staring into my eyes the entire time, making me feel weightless, like we were the only two people in the room.

  -->